Motocross
by VampireRide
Summary: Fang Ride used to leave it all on the course. There was nothing more important than whipping up dirt and leaving his regrets in the dust, but then something unexpected happened. The course came to him. Now he's lost in a new age of secrets, lies, and and broken friendships that may never be fixed. Nothing in his life is stable anymore; nothing except Motocross.
1. Chapter 1

_**Welcome one and all to the remake of Motocross.**_

 _ **For the first and only time I do not, nor will I ever, own Maximum Ride - VR**_

* * *

 **Four Way Tie**

 **Fang**

"Hey Fang, you think you can beat me this time?" A boy about my age, ten, walked up to me, a smile plastered on his pale face as he zipped up his bright red jacket, struggling to hold his helmet as he did so.

"Pft, I know it," I spoke, confidence oozing into my words as I ruffled up the boy's strawberry blonde hair that reached out to brush across the tip of his nose, effectively covering his icy blue eyes.

"Wow, somebody's cocky today," Iggy joked, shoving me playfully. I stumbled back a few feet before catching my footing and glaring at him, suppressing the smile that threatened to spread across my face.

"Not cocky, I just know I'm going to win because I can see the future," I said, puffing my chest out to look cooler than my best friend. Which might have worked had somebody not tripped and fallen on me.

I cried out in shock, losing my balance and collapsing on the ground, tasting dirt in my mouth as my face connected with the thick grass before me. "S- sorry!" A high-pitched, timid voice choked out as a boy in bright yellow pants and a white tee shirt attempted to scramble back onto his feet. Unfortunately for him, his untied shoes weren't working in his favor because he soon found himself on the ground again, a small cut on his arm as he whimpered from the pain.

"Gosh, Klutz, get a grip," yet another boy ran up to the scene, his dark blue get-up clashing with his tan skin and honey blonde hair.

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean t- to run into you." The boy in yellow stuttered as the blonde handed him a yellow jacket to match his pants.

"Hey, I'm Dylan. That's Sam. He falls a lot," the boy in blue grinned at me, revealing his stunningly white teeth before kneeling down to mumble something to Sam and tie his shoes for him.

"Hi!" Sam spoke up cheerfully, waving at Iggy and me as I stood up and brushed myself off.

"Don't you know how to tie your own shoes?" Iggy greeted harshly, crossing his arms over his chest and flipping his hair out of his face for a moment before it fell back down into his peripheral vision.

"I- um, well, I kinda-"

"Iggy!" I scolded, turning to my friend to smack him for asking a question like that. Not everybody had the ego we did, and not everybody could take embarrassing questions like that.

"No, it's okay. I just… I'm not very good at it," Sam admitted sheepishly, causing Iggy to raise an eyebrow as Dylan finished up and stood to his full height.

"So you just do it for him?" He questioned, and this time I did successfully smack him upside the head, causing his strawberry blonde locks to flutter in the air before settling back down.

"Well I can't just let him fall all day. Why, you got a problem with that?" Dylan asked, a scowl crossing over his face as Sam pushed himself up onto his feet, his frail body looking like it would blow away with the slightest breeze as he sniffed once and brushed the dirt off his knees.

"And what would you do if I did?" Iggy growled, and I shoved him back a few steps to intervene.

"Look Iggy, stop being a jerk. I'm sorry, he gets kinda moody when he doesn't take his medicine." I apologized, turning to Dylan who was already calming down whereas Iggy looked hurt that I had mentioned the fact he had to take medicine.

"It's okay." Sam answered for his friend, stepping forward. "What's your name?"

"I'm Fang, and you probably know this, but that's Iggy," I added, gesturing to my best friend.

"No offense, but those names are kinda weird," Sam giggled and I smiled at the thought.

"Yeah, I guess they are. We gave each other nicknames when we were little and they just kind of stuck,"

"Maybe we can be friends too and give each other cool nicknames!" Sam suddenly exclaimed, his excitement flowing through him as he jumped up and down.

"Yeah! That'd be cool!" Dylan agreed and I turned to Iggy, who huffed but nodded his acceptance.

"Riders! Start your engines!" A voice yelled and all four of us shared a look and yelled a 'good luck' to each other before sprinting over to our dirt bikes. Mine was midnight black with silver exhaust pipes. I loved my bike so much that I always made my dad help me wash it on the weekends until it sparkled. He'd always laugh and shake his head but it was undeniable that I would do anything to keep it in its best condition, so he went along with my pleas to wash it.

I quickly hopped onto my dirt bike, snapping the kickstand up with a flick of my foot and slamming down on the starter until the engine purred ferociously. I turned around to grab my full face helmet off the back of the bike and shoved it on my head, tightened the thick strap under my chin and pushed the visor down to cover my whole face before turning back to the course laid out in front of me.

A yellow flag was waved in the air saying if you weren't ready you better get ready, and then, all too soon, the green flag was thrown down and ten dirt bikes of various colors took off into the dirt.

The bright sun glinted off of every piece of metal in sight as the people sitting in the bleachers cheered for whoever they came to see. Somewhere in the back of my my mind I could hear my older sister, Ella, yelling my name to the course, cheering me on as I leaped over mounds of dirt with my precious dirt bike and leaned into turns effortlessly. Soon it was all a blur of adrenaline, pointless noise, and dirt hills. Everything was at a stand still and I was moving at the speed of light. It was amazing to live in this moment. To feel like you were flying. To not think about anything and yet have everything on your mind.

But before I could even feel myself falling into that special trance I got into around the fifth lap the checkered flag waved in my face and I pressed on the breaks, jerking the wheel to the left to slide to a halt, throwing up dirt and mud as I did so.

After I had tossed my helmet off and got off my bike, I found Iggy a few feet away talking with Dylan and Sam, who both threw their heads back to laugh at something my best friend had said. Cautiously, I walked towards them, feeling the shyness inside of me creep its way up as I wondered if they were having a good time without me.

"Hey Fang! You were amazing!" Dylan spoke up when the trio finally noticed me. I laughed nervously, shaking my head.

"I was alright, but you guys, wow! You have some serious skill," I complimented and Iggy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but I totally won," he grinned at me and winked and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh please, it was obviously me who won." I said, thinking back to the last moments of the race. Iggy has been close, definitely, but I could have sworn I came out on top.

"Uh guys, I think you're both wrong. It was me," Sam spoke up, the stutter nowhere around anymore as he smirked at all of us. He was very close by the end, but so was Dylan, who soon brought that point up.

"Huh," I muttered, and we all fell into an awkward silence as we stood there, the four of us, all sure we had won.

All of us found something to lean on as the time passed by and the heat began to creep into our jackets. We all took them off, one by one. Leaving Dylan and Sam in white tee shirts and Iggy and I shirtless. We never bothered to wear anything under our protective outfits because we both got too hot even with any unneeded layers.

"I wonder what's taking them so long," Sam muttered as he finished tying the sleeves of his jacket around his waist. He managed to take a few steps towards the judge panel before falling flat on his face, his laces once again tricking him into a false sense of security.

The three of us burst out laughing as Sam grumbled under his breath, and pushed himself into a sitting position as he glared at his untied shoelaces. Although after a few minutes he must have shook it off because he joined in on our laughter as Dylan helped him to his feet.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! The results are in! For the first time in Little League Motocross history there has not only been a tie, but a four way tie! Therefore the prize will be split four ways. And the first place victors are…" The man's voice trailed off as we all looked between each other, our laughter having faded away into a memory.

"Nicolas Ride! James Griffiths! Dylan Walker! And Sam Davis!" Instantly, the crowd erupted in cheers of congratulations, but all the four of us could do was stare at each other. We had all tied. All of us. Somehow we had managed to see each other's speed and agility and match it. Somehow we had done something nobody before us could pull off. A four way tie.

"Wow," Sam was the first one to break the silence, just barely breathing out the word, letting us all know this wasn't a dream. It was reality. This was real. We had all won a trophy.

"I know," Iggy mumbled, nodding in agreement.

"Well," I recovered finally, watching out of the corner of my eye as Dylan shook himself out of it as well. "What are we waiting for? Let's go celebrate! Pizza on me!" I exclaimed brightly and the three others cheered loudly before we all got on our dirt bikes and raced them to the parking lot. In that moment something clicked in the world. Something gleamed throughout the universe that couldn't quite be explained.

A friendship, a bond between four winners, that could go through all the trials, and races in the world, but nothing would ruin it. Or so we thought, anyways.

* * *

 _ **Okay, yeah, the beginning was cheesy, but it's also adorable. I hope you guys are enjoying it so far and I'm always a few chapters ahead so I'll attempt to keep updates weekly.**_

 _ **Please review and any constructive criticism would be much appreciated**_

 _ **Stay Majestic**_

 _ **VR**_


	2. Chapter 2

**7 Years Later**

 **Fang**

"What do you mean you can't come?" I questioned my cell phone, glancing at Sam who just shook his head at me. He knew. He always knew. I always knew too, but I still called and asked because that's what brothers do. That's what best friends do.

"Look, I have a hot chick over and unless you wanna see me in action I'm not coming," Iggy huffed quietly, sounding irritated by the fact I was drawing this conversation out. "No Babe, I got it. Just… God! You're going to burn yourself! Look, I got to go, Fang, bye!" Iggy spoke hastily before ending the call and leaving me to stand in shock, staring at my phone like a rejected fool.

"What slut did he pick up today?" Sam asked as he brushed his chestnut hair back out of his eyes in one fluid motion. I could tell he was stressed out by the fact Iggy had turned his back on us for somebody else, much less a girl, but at the same time he always did it, so what was there to be stressed over?

"The one called 'Babe' apparently," I joked, letting a smile slip onto my face before Dylan's unamused scowl made it fall.

"He's gonna get an STD one of these days, and I am going to laugh at him when he does." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh come on, I'm sure he's smart enough to use-"

"Fang, he's already gotten two girls pregnant. If they weren't baby murderers he'd be a dad by now." Nudge piped up, walking down the creaky wooden steps that led to the basement. Gazzy followed right after her, a cheerful grin on his face along with some of Nudge's lip gloss.

"It's called an abortion, Nudge." Sam said, eying his ex girlfriend carefully as she walked straight past him and to one of the many beige couches scattered in front of the large flat screen in my basement..

"Yeah, yeah, technical terms." She waved a hand at him dismissively as Gazzy plopped down next to her and smacked a kiss on her cheek excitedly, causing Sam to gag and Dylan and I to share a knowing look as we chuckled to ourselves.

"Alright," I spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "Let's get this movie night started, yeah?"

"Not without me you don't," Ella warned, trotting down the stairs with her black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail and her brown eyes locking with my own dark ones as if to dare me to challenge her.

"Why don't you go back to the kitchen where you belong?" I ordered, smirking at my older sister.

"I will when you get back in the garage and start fixing something," Ella countered, flipping her ponytail in my face as she sauntered past me to take a seat next to Gazzy on the couch. Rolling my eyes in amusement at my older sister's attempt at a comeback, I headed over to the television and crouched down to pull an action film off of one of the many shelves just under the flat screen. Barely even glancing over the titles, I picked one off and shoved it in the DVD player before heading over to the recliner and collapsing in it as Dylan stretched out on the loveseat and Sam wedged himself in between my sister and the arm rest.

"Alright guys, this is your last chance to get snacks," I warned, looking around the living room. Dylan immediately reached for a bowl of popcorn that sat on the coffee table, while Ella snatched up a bag of chips and Gazzy got his hands on a soda. Between all the crunching and sizzling that echoed off the walls I honestly didn't know how we were going to hear the movie, but I pressed play anyways, and the Friday night tradition began once again.

* * *

As the credits began to roll, Dylan stumbled off the loveseat and dropped the empty blue bowl on the coffee table before turning to me. "Can I spend the night? My mom's decided she's going on a cooking strike," he explained, trying in vain to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Sure, Sam's sticking around too so one of you guys can get the guest room and the other can sleep down here."

"I call Fang's bed!" Sam exclaimed suddenly, jumping up off the couch with such speed he found himself tripping over his own two feet. I watched in amusement- and worry- as his chin smacked onto the glass coffee table before he spiralled off of it with a groan, his hands reaching up to hold his bruising jaw.

"God, Butterfoot, get a grip," Dylan muttered, shaking his head as he tried not to burst out in laughter.

"Sammy Boy, are you okay?" I asked, ignoring Dylan's insensitive behavior. Sure it was funny at first, but after the first few hundred times Sam falling over himself so much became more terrifying than hilarious.

"Yeah… ow, I bit my tongue," he mumbled and sat up slowly, propping himself up on his elbows as he leaned back and looked over at me. "I am drinking my own blood, Fang. Does this mean I am finally going to become my own sacrifice to Satan?"

As Sam's small words reached me I burst out laughing, unable to contain my joy at that sentence. He always knew just what to say to wipe any thoughts that he could actually be hurt away.

Nudge awoke to the sound of my deep laughter and blinked the sleep out of her eyes as she surveyed the scene. Gazzy was still out cold next to her, and she smiled at him briefly before realizing Sam was on the floor with a trail of blood coming out of his mouth, and Dylan and I were clutching our guts from laughter.

"You fell again, didn't you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow towards her former boyfriend to which he shrugged.

"And now I'm sacrificing myself to Satan too," Sam answered, causing Nudge to glare furiously at him.

"That is not funny Samuel Luke Davis! You shouldn't joke about things like that," she growled before getting to her feet and grabbing Gazzy's hand, effectively waking him up. His eyes shot open as he struggled to catch his footing while Nudge pulled him along like a dog. Gazzy followed willingly, sending a wave towards us before disappearing up the stairs and into the main floor of my house with his girlfriend.

"Luke huh? Funny, I pictured you as more of a Ryan," Ella thought out loud, and we all turned to her for a moment before looking back at Sam.

"Yeah, I could see it," I said finally.

"You know, I was thinking more along the lines of Caleb," Dylan insisted while Sam sent us all an annoyed look.

"Yeah, yeah, discuss my middle name later. Ella go upstairs. We have official Motocross business to attend to," he growled out and glanced at my older sister, who sighed in a bored way before hopping off the couch.

"Alright, whatever. You know where my room is though," she added, throwing a wink over her shoulder along with a hair flip as she slowly made her way up the stairs, determined to show off every curve on her body.

"That is gross, Ella! Little brother right here!" I hollered after her as she finally made it to the top and closed the door behind her, leaving Dylan, Sam, and me alone.

"Bro, she has it bad for you," Dylan acknowledged immediately, looking to Sam who shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"No offense Fang, but Ella is the walking, talking carnation of irritating."

"Oh no offense taken, buddy, I get it." I nodded quickly, fully understanding Sam's point of view. Ella was such a pain in the neck sometimes. It was hard to deal with her. She was basically either being a flirt, giving advice, or yelling at you. There was nothing else left for her to do.

"Anyways," Sam drawled out, "Now that she's gone, we need to talk about tomorrow."

"What about it?" Dylan asked curiously, and I wondered if he had forgotten.

"You're kidding right?" I spoke, bewildered. "The competition? The one where the winner gets a hundred thousand dollars in prize money plus a solid gold medal and a lifetime's supply of free tires?"

"Well I mean, I know about that, but what's there to talk about?" Dylan rearranged his question.

"Well obviously unless some powerhouse pops up one of us will win so we need to make a deal now that we're going to split the prize money three ways, okay? No matter what." Sam explained.

"Why not four?" I interjected before I could stop myself, and instantly began to regret it as Sam and Dylan both sent me a look that could kill. I let out a breath of air, but refused to back down. "Look, Iggy may have grown into a bastard but he's still our friend. Plus he's going to be there tomorrow. We can't just kick him to the curb because he made a few mistakes," I persisted.

"Getting girls pregnant, attempting to do the same to Ella, and supposedly stealing from a wealthy guy when we went up to Washington for that big competition is more than a few mistakes, Fang," Sam listed Iggy's offenses off one by one, and the worst part is he hadn't even poked at the surface yet. I knew he was right, but still something tugged at the bottom of my heart. I had been friends with Iggy since we were born. I had walked through his life with him. I knew of all the horrible things that had happened to him throughout his years. More things than any seventeen year old should have ever had to go through. Although it didn't excuse his behavior, and my anger towards his behavior, I couldn't just kick him to the curb like Sam and Dylan were oh-so willing to do.

"Look, how about we make a deal? If Iggy comes to the course in the morning to practice we'll split it four ways," Dylan finally decided, and Sam looked up at our friend to protest, but he shook his head.

"No Sam, don't argue. If Fang wants to play this game, we'll play," He muttered and turned to me. "I love you bro, I just hope you don't pick Iggy over us when the time comes because we're here, and he's not. Like always." I could feel myself losing my grip as Dylan spoke those words. He was right. They both were. And yet here I was, defending my friend because I had to. Not because I wanted to. It was an obligation.

"Alright, let's call it in for a night," I mumbled, refusing to answer Dylan's unasked question.

* * *

 _ **And there we have it. Review if you're liking it so far.**_

 _ **Stay Majestic**_

 _ **VR**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Decisions, Decisions**

 **Fang**

Flying wasn't possible for the ordinary guy. The most he could ever hope for is to float on water. But for me? I got closer and closer to flying everyday I rode my dirt bike on the course.

It was the next morning and after calling Iggy seven times like a worried mother, I gave up and texted him that he wouldn't get a cut of the prize if he didn't show. Hopefully that would have knocked some sense into him.

Right now however, I wasn't worrying about if Iggy would show or not. In fact the only thing I was even remotely anxious about was the jump in front of me. I could feel my stomach doing backflips the closer I got, but I wouldn't dare slow down. I needed to tackled the jump head on at full speed if I planned to participate in the X games that was only two months and a couple finals away. I had to get used to catching enough air to do a whole circus routine if I even wanted something like a chance during the freestyle course.

"Fang! Hurry up! We can't let Ratchet and Holden beat us!" Sam growled into his helmet, and even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was a couple miles in front of me, just around the winding trees that reached out to pull me off my dirt bike.

"Sorry, I took a detour," I mumbled into the tiny wireless mike I had installed in my full face helmet a few years ago when Sam and I started doing tag team races at the course down the street from where we lived.

"I don't wanna lose! I bet Cobra on this one! If they get my baby I will murder you," Sam snapped in warning, but I wasn't too worried about it. We always won when it counted. And this counted. For a lot.

"Relax," I soothed, before losing all focus on Sam's words and paying attention to the jump in front of me. I was on the ramp, wait no. I was in the air.

I soared through the breeze, listening to the ruffle of my clothes as the air tried to push me back. I was completely suspended. I was flying. I was so caught up in the moment I forgot to practice my backflip, but I couldn't help it. This was my favorite part. Those few seconds you got stuck in mid-air, unsure of whether you would make it to the other side. It was the kind of thrill I lived for.

Although, all too soon my front tire hit the dirt track and I went zooming forward, sighing as I left my secret bliss behind and racing towards the finish line. It didn't take long before I found myself noticing Sam's neon green dirt bike, Cobra, peeking through the long, thick branches. Along with Holden's dirt bike. He was trailing me after having cut across to try and catch up. I knew I was going to win, so I thought I'd play around and slowed a little, swerving in front of him every time he tried to pass me.

"Stop messing around," Sam demanded, but I could hear the laughter in his voice right before I sped up and easily crossed the finish line with Holden about twenty feet behind me. I turned Venom and let her scrape up dirt before coming to a halt and I kicked the stand down before hopping off, watching in amusement as Holden tore himself off his dirt bike and flung his helmet at a tree.

"What was that, Holden? He literally went the longer way! This is why I don't let you do this professionally with me," Ratchet muttered.

"I believe we won, what was the bet again?" I asked just to entertain myself. Sam looked over at me and grinned.

"Yeah, I don't remember either, mind refreshing our memory Ratch?" He asked and Holden grumbled as Ratchet handed over the keys to his motorcycle.

"I can't believe you beat us this time," he shook his head in bewilderment as I snatched the keys out of his hand and examined them idly.

"Thanks for the bike, I'll take good care of her until you win her back- if you ever do," I added as an afterthought before getting back on Venom and riding her over to Dylan's truck. He still wasn't back yet from the course he went to ride so I rode Venom up the ramp and strapped her down in the back of the truck with Sam right behind me.

"Are you seriously going to keep it?" Sam asked me, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"They still have Old Yeller, don't they?" I answered with my own question.

"Yeah, but I hated that yellow dirt bike. I'm glad they took it off my hands." Sam insisted. "Ratchet loves that motorcycle,"

"Yeah well, then he shouldn't have bet it because I love it too, I wonder what I should call her,"

"How about Poison, or Toxic? That'll go along nicely with your death theme," Dylan's voice reverberated through me and I spun around to watch him ride his bike up the ramp. He had a smile on his face, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, and judging by the dirt staining his clothes and bike, he had wiped out.

"Are you okay, Bro?" I asked, hopping out of the bed so I wouldn't get run over as Sam and Dylan both finished strapping their bikes up.

"Yeah, I just didn't jump high enough, tried to practice some flips, ya know? Kinda fell off in mid-air."

"Dylan! Do you need to go to the hospital?" Sam exclaimed, looking highly concerned for his friend. They had been together practically as long as Iggy and I, so I didn't blame him for immediately taking over strapping Dylan's bike up and ordering him off the bed of the truck.

"No, I'm fine. Stop babying me. Just a little bruised up, that's all," Dylan persisted, annoyed by Sam's behavior.

"That's what you said last time, and how many surgeries did you need again? Four? Five?" Sam asked, jumping off the truck and walking over to Dylan.

"It was three, thank you very much. This wasn't that bad," Dylan insisted, pushing Sam away from him and walking towards the drivers side of the truck before collapsing to his knees. He groaned in pain and wrapped his arms tight around his stomach.

"Oh my God! Dylan!" Sam yelled as we both hurried over to him.

"I'm fine," Dylan growled, but Sam and I shared a look that said we both knew he needed to go to the emergency room.

"Alright that's it. We're taking you to the hospital. Right now." I ordered, and together Sam and I carried Dylan's weight over to the passenger side. Sam fumbled with opening the door and we both dropped Dylan in rather ungracefully, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Sorry!" Sam whimpered and I rolled my eyes at him. "Can you take him? He probably can't compete anymore-"

"No!" Dylan exclaimed, "I have to-"

"Save it for the doctors, Dyl," I interrupted before turning to Sam. "Take him to the hospital, get a doctor to take him off your hands, and then meet back at my place. I have to go put my prize up." I explained and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, okay. See you in a few hours," Sam agreed.

"Don't be late,"

* * *

"Whoa, sweet ride," a familiar voice spoke up as I rode the motorcycle up my driveway and straight into the open garage. It was pretty cool. Ratchet had gone all out in painting it black with icy blue flames licking up the gas tank, and the silver chrome was polished to perfection.

"What do you want, Iggy?" I snarled, shutting the bike off and resting it on its kickstand before turning to my friend. His strawberry blonde hair was a wavy mess, and his icy blue eyes looked desperate and tired.

"Look I'm sorry I missed practice, really I am. I stayed up late last night with-"

"I don't want to know what you did to the girl you had over-"

"Don't cut me off, this is important. I may have gotten kinda drunk last night after we talked and I… well I was with… Fang you have to promise not to hate me," Iggy stuttered out, and I watched as he squeezed his left hand into a fist so tight the knuckles turned a bleach white. A sure sign he was in some kind of trouble and needed help.

"No promises, who was the girl?" I questioned, mentally reminding myself that Nudge and Ella were both with us last night. However, there was a certain someone in our group who was missing… but no. Iggy couldn't have-

"Angel. It was Angel. I swear I wasn't actually going to do anything. It was just a date- I wasn't trying to do anything stupid with her because she Sam's sister but I don't know, I drank too much, I got too into the moment and we…" Iggy took a deep breath, his voice trailing off as he stared down at his shoes.

"So you came here to tell me this because you need me to keep Angel quiet, right?" I questioned, trying to subdue the raging beast that threatened to explode out of me. Angel may have only been Sam's little sister, but it was the whole group's responsibility to keep her safe. I don't know when we had all mutually agreed to love her as our own, but once it had happened Sam had thought he'd never have to worry about Iggy going after her. Well, he thought wrong.

"Um… yeah," Iggy looked over at me expectantly, his eyes glowing with desperation he would never admit to.

"You disgust me, you know that?" I muttered, shaking my head at him. As much as I wanted to be ferocious with Iggy I just couldn't. He wasn't just my best friend, he was my brother. We had a pact and I couldn't break it, I didn't have the heart to.

"I'm sorry," he tried, but I didn't want to hear it. He had dragged me into situations like this too many times to count, and now I was once against shoved in between a rock and a hard spot because of Iggy. I had two choices, call Angel and resolve everything, or call Sam and resolve everything. Both ways were a lose-lose.

I sighed, pulling my cell phone out as I walked towards the gray garage door that led to the inside of my home, where my sister, Ella sat on the couch and my mom busied herself in the kitchen with my dad off on some three month job I didn't want to bother to know about.

Iggy followed like a lost puppy, as he always did when he was looking to me for help. "Stay down here, I'll solve this," I mumbled, but he grabbed my arm before I could sprint up the stairs to call Sam.

"Fang, you know Sam is one of my best friends, I don't want to mess anything up between us, just please, one more time, bail me out." Iggy begged, and I glowered at him, debating who was more worthy of my time. Sam or Iggy? The answer was obvious to anybody else, but to me it was difficult. I had to put years together versus time together. It was no easy task, but I still came to a quick decision as I pulled out of his grasp.

"Stay down here," I repeated, marching up the stairs. Once I got to my room and closed the door shut, locking it behind me I collapsed onto the midnight sheets that covered my bed. Sam or Angel? Who did I call? Who did I tell? Who did I betray?

"I'm sorry," I whispered to my home screen picture, a picture of four best friends who thought nothing could get in there way, before clicking into my contacts and pressing down on Angel's name.

* * *

I headed down the stairs already in my black pants that I wore when riding my dirt bike. A plain wifebeater had been thrown on as an afterthought and my black jacket was tied around my waist as I quietly made my way down the stairs, guilt holding me down.

However, that guilt was momentarily swept aside when I saw that Iggy had my older sister pinned to the wall, his lips attacking her own. For a moment all I could do was blink in shock, staring wide-eyed as he tried to suck my sister's lips off before realizing I was going to end up watching them have sex in my living room if I didn't put a stop to this.

"Igford Griffiths, I will not tolerate this," I growled out viciously, and watched as he stumbled away from my sister, who was looking at my best friend like he was a god. It was disgusting and ridiculous.

"Oh uh, Fang. You took awhile. I didn't think you were going to-"

"Just. Go. Home." I snarled, venom dripping through my words as I shoved past him furiously and walked over to Ella, grabbing her wrist with such strength I thought the feeble bone would break as I yanked her towards the stairs that would lead us up to her room.

"Fang! Fang let me go!" Ella hollered, desperately clawing at my hand to try and get me to unhand her, however I was not in a good mood after getting off the phone with Angel, and had no intent to let her go.

"Shut up," I sneered, turning to her with the most vicious glare I could produce. It must have been pretty terrifying because her skin turned pasty and a look of horror swarmed her brown eyes as she began to willingly let me drag her upstairs.

I practically threw her in her room, watching with a red haze as she stumbled over the carpet before turning back to me. "Ella, if you _ever_ kiss him again I'm going to disown you as my sister, got it? I will not let him hurt you." I demanded before leaving her with a slam of a door. I still had a competition to get to, and so did Iggy. Hopefully he'd be gone when I got back downstairs.

* * *

 _ **Welp I'm tired. It's been raining all day and I got a bunch of writing down so WooHoo!**_

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	4. Chapter 4

**Worse Than All of Us**

 **Fang**

Sam had learned a long time ago how to decode the slightest of twitches in my behavior. It had taken him a total of three years to completely figure me out; to understand every emotion I was feeling and when I was feeling it, and he took pride in this accomplishment. He used to call me out on every sly grin or angry sigh when we were younger, but as time went on his joy in figuring me out before I even knew what was going on myself faded into concern. I was never one to get overly emotional about something, especially angry or upset, so when those emotions swung around and Sam spotted it, instead of calling me out on it, he poked and prodded until he could get me to talk to him.

Of course I hated talking about my feelings. It made me feel insecure and vulnerable. Two things I hated to be, and honestly? It was uncomfortable talking to another guy about my issues. Even Iggy, and we went to each other whenever anything went wrong. Well, we used to. Now it was mostly him asking me to solve his problems for him while I just kinda waded knee deep in my own pool of inner turmoil and weird emotions I didn't even comprehend. So in a way I was glad I had Sam to talk to now that Iggy was basically done with listening to me, but at the same time it was almost a hassle to try and tell him why I felt how I felt when I felt like that. Which is why when I got in the truck and he immediately turned to me with a concerned look in his eye I wanted to stop whatever I was doing to make him notice my anger.

"What's wrong?" He asked, and I let out a sigh of frustration, not sure what to say. At this point lying was a no-go, and if I told him the truth he'd go find Iggy and break his neck.

"Iggy came over," I settled with after a moment of deliberation. That was all I needed to say anyways. Any mention of Iggy and we all knew immediately why the other was angry. It was almost like a code for us. If you said Iggy's name that basically explained everything.

"Oh. So what'd you have to do damage control on this time?" Sam asked casually, not in a curious way, just in a way that told me he wanted to rant about how much he hated him some more. I could obviously give him the fuel for that fire, but I didn't really want to at this point, so I kept it as vague as possible.

"I just had to shut this girl up for him that he screwed last night," I muttered. "And then I came downstairs and guess what he was doing?" I continued, surprising myself with the sudden urge to tell Sam everything. I would love to watch him hurt Iggy; to do everything I was too weak to go through with. He could do it- he would do it. "He was making out with my sister. Completely and utterly breaking every bro code in the universe!" My voice had risen slightly, and I could see Sam clenching his fists against the steering wheel as we drove off towards our destination even as I spoke. Ella wasn't just my older sister. She was Sam's and Dylan's too. She took care of all of us, gave us some good advice, kept us on our toes. Violating her was violating all of us, and I could tell that Sam was feeling the same anger towards the guy he had once called his friend as I did.

"Did you mess him up?" He asked, his calm voice contradicting his white knuckles and clenched teeth.

"I wish. Man, I could have killed him at that moment, and it was the only thing holding me back. The thought that I might not be able to stop." I said honestly, running my fingers through my hair in irritation. I didn't know what to do anymore. Everything he did made me angry, and yet I still saved him from all of his demons because I couldn't say no to his broken blue eyes that swirled with a horrifying past.

"I would have attacked him if he would have done that to Angel or JJ. He'd probably be in a hospital by now." Sam admitted, not sounding even slightly guilty at the thought of throwing an old friend into the hospital. I couldn't blame him of course, but the thought made me gulp quietly. Poor Angel had lost something important last night, and Sam didn't even know about it. If he did I don't think anything could calm him down except Iggy's blood on his hands.

"Wait. Fang, why did you suddenly go pale?" Sam asked, turning his head away from the road to watch me as I quickly turned to look out the window.

"So how's Dylan doing?" I asked to divert the question thrown at me. The last thing I wanted Sam to know was that Iggy had been with his little sister. It would be horrible, the massacre that would occur after he found out; and I had a feeling I would be his first victim.

"Pretty good," Sam spoke warily, still not looking at the road. He was too busy watching me, a small match being lit in his eyes as he tried to respond without demanding I tell him who Iggy had slept with last night. "He's got some broken ribs, scratches, bruises. The usual with a dirt bike accident. Now again, why'd you go pale?"

"It's just the… lighting," I answered lamely, but Sam wasn't having it. He knew me better than that, and he knew my lies better than that.

"He was with JJ wasn't he?" Sam wondered harshly, and I wished I could have told him yes. That I could have lied through my teeth so he wouldn't completely obliterate Iggy since JJ got around pretty fast too, but I couldn't. I knew if I did the truth would come out one way or another, and I was slightly afraid of what would happened to me if Angel was sobbing about how I had told her to keep quiet to save Iggy.

"You're not answering me." Sam spoke up slowly, and I looked over at him helplessly, unsure of how to answer. I couldn't say no because he'd immediately know it was Angel, and I couldn't say yes because he was my best friend and deserved honesty.

"Fang, tell me right now or I swear to God I'll beat it out of Iggy." Sam snarled and I took a deep breath, looking down at my old, ratted shoes that were stained with blood, mud, and sweat. I always wore them when I rode, and I had thought of them as almost a good luck charm for a long time, but now not so much. There was no good luck within a hundred miles of me at this point. Maybe not even in the same state.

"It was Angel," I spoke quietly, feeling my own anger threaten to surface. It was Angel. Not only Sam's little sister, but my little sister. The girl who I helped out with math homework because JJ was never home to do so and Sam was slightly dyslexic when it came to numbers on paper. The girl who looked up to me as a role model, as her hero, as her friend and her brother, and here I was letting Iggy off for hurting her in more ways than one. I was so caught up in my own sudden spurt of anger I didn't even notice Sam who sat right next to me, cussing Iggy out in all three languages he knew, spewing venom at the windshield as he sped up to an easy ninety miles per hour, his rage becoming clear in his driving as he swerved around a semi-truck and hissed. He obviously was ready to kill. He wanted to do it too, and we were only five miles away from the competition where he could do so. Only five miles away from the person who had caused Sam's eyes to burn with a fire filled with so much hatred I thought he would burn me to a crisp with one look.

"You did damage control on my sister?" He finally spat at me, and I tried not to wince at his tone. He had every right to be angry with me. I had done something horrible. I had tried to conceal the fact that Iggy had done something horrible to the fifteen year old girl who had enough insecurities to fill up the Atlantic ocean. "On Angel? Fang, you know all the problems she has. Anxiety, insecurities, some other crap I can't bother to remember because I am seeing red right now and picturing Iggy's dead body in front of me"

"I know, I'm sorry. I just… I don't know. He came to me, and he was worried about losing you as a friend and-"

"He lost me a long time ago, but he obviously hasn't managed to get rid of you. Fang, he slept with Angel and you're still defending him?" Sam scoffed incredulously, only glancing at the road to make sure he wasn't about to kill us both as he exited before continuing to stare me down; waiting for an explanation.

"Look, I know you may not understand but Iggy's been through hell and back. He had a horrible childhood and he needs friends." I explained vaguely, wanting to keep Iggy's story a secret. If anybody ever found out and would report it he could get taken away forever or thrown into a foster home that was even worse than the one he lived in, and Sam would do something. He would never let anyone go through what Iggy's gone through, no matter the consequence he would face.

"Well I don't care how bad it is, that doesn't give him the right to hurt my little sister. And that doesn't make him automatically deserve my friendship either. He's just a low-life, son of a-"

"He does it for a reason." I spoke quietly, interrupting Sam. His eyes widened slightly as I once again defended the one person in the world who didn't deserve it.

"And what might that reason be?" Sam sneered sarcastically as if he really wanted to know, but he didn't. He didn't care, it was obvious by his tone.

"He's just… desperate." I decided was the right word. It was true. There was something that Iggy craved more than the whole population combined, but he'd never get it the way he was going at it; something he didn't understand.

"To what? get himself off with helpless girls?" Sam questioned accusingly, and I quickly shook my head.

"He just wants to be loved," I insisted, and felt myself cringe at Sam's cruel laughter that exploded out of his mouth at my words.

"That's hilarious, Fang. Iggy doesn't need love. That's what parents are for."

"Well he doesn't have parents, Sam, and you know that." I growled out, and watched as Sam's wicked chuckle faded as he frowned at the parking lot he pulled into.

"He has a step-dad though," Sam persisted, and I sighed. Sam didn't know the full story. Nobody did. Nobody but me. Of course it would be so much easier to just tell him, to make him understand Iggy's motives; even if he was going about it the wrong way, but I couldn't, and so I didn't.

"His step-dad isn't the best dad in the world, Sam. Look, you can beat the crap out of Iggy all you want, but just remember that he has it worse than all of us, and that's punishment enough."

"Oh really?" Sam shook his head as he pulled into a parking space and pulled the key out of the ignition after throwing it into park.

"Yeah, really."

* * *

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 ** _And I meant to update yesterday but I kinda fell asleep so oops._**

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 ** _VR_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Optimism and Me**

 **Fang**

There are millions of optimistic people in the world. People who always somehow manage to find something good in a bad situation. People who can't help but make you smile even in your worst times. People who make your blood boil with their extra-wide smile, but most importantly, optimistic people are the people who make you realize that positivity is nothing but a false sense that something will get better when in fact, it wont.

Take the day in my life where my best friend had slept with my other best friend's sister, then made out with my sister, then I'd had to tell the other best friend what happened and therefore made him angry with me. It was a horrible day. My good mood from this morning had diminished into this dark abyss of anger and guilt. Now, Sam being the optimist of the group was normally the one to cheer me up, but when even he couldn't force a smile on his face that left me to try and do it myself. Of course it didn't work. I tried to think of the good things that happened today. Winning the race and the motorcycle were definitely on the positive side, but the negative side was slowly sinking into the ground and dragging all the positives with it.

And I couldn't tell myself the day wouldn't get worse because obviously it would. Nobody has ever had a bad day in the real world where their silver lining shown through the clouds. That's just not how real life works.

Which is why when I got Venom off the truck bed I wasn't necessarily surprised to see a beautiful Mustang drive by. One that just happened to fling mud onto my precious bike and my pants. I groaned loudly, but didn't find myself chasing after the idiot driver like I normally would have. I was too down, and I was already falling deeper into my haze. There was no point anymore.

"Wow, that car is badass," Sam observed, trying not to snicker at the mud that stained my clothes. Okay maybe Sam's smile was a silver lining, and his attempts to poke fun at me without actually saying anything could definitely be added to the positives list, but that didn't help with the weight on my shoulders of all the horrible emotions I felt. Emotions I didn't want to feel and wished I was never cursed with.

"Yeah," I answered lamely, unsure of what else to say. It might have been nice to feel a slight sense of amusement, but all too quickly it was pummeled by the pain of shutting Angel up for Iggy's sake, and then having Sam find out about it. He started to walk around the truck towards me, raising an eyebrow at my poor attempt to agree with him. I was normally all over cars like that; especially a Mustang of that quality, but at that particular moment in my life I wasn't too perky.

Before Sam could reach me he somehow managed to step onto his own shoelace which was actually tied for once, and tumbled over into the earth, his body weight causing a slight splashing noise as he effectively covered his whole front side with mud- including his face. Somehow a small grin cracked at the corners of my mouth, and I struggled not to laugh out loud as he pushed himself back onto his feet slowly, groaning about the small cut on his chin from banging it against a rock. "God, Sam, I think you've set a record. You went a whole four hours without falling before that." I told him, and chuckled at my own joke as he scowled before kneeling down to fix his shoelaces. He still managed to be horrible at tying them correctly, something I could never understand. It came so easily to me, like second nature, and yet with him it was like he was trying to earn a complicated knot badge at Boy Scout camp.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm still mad at you." He muttered, though he was hiding a grin himself as he wiped the mud off his face and lathered it into my hair. I yelped and jumped away from him, getting to my full height quickly. We stood at eye level with each other, an intense stare down consuming our time as we each waited for the other to say something until I finally broke the silence.

"You never mess with a man's hair." I warned quietly, the false-rage I felt seeping into my words.

"Good thing you're just a boy then," Sam shot back quickly. He had never been the best at comebacks, but through many years of training Iggy and I had gotten him on par with it at least. He was never a hole-in-one type of guy by any means, but whatever he threw at you got the point across.

"This coming from Sir Trips-a-lot," I retorted smugly, crossing my arms over my chest. He blinked, obviously unsure of what to do or say to me anymore. Like I said; not a hole-in-one type of guy.

"Well… uh, you know what?" Sam snapped defensively, and I shook my head at him, the amusement I felt overpowering my sense of guilt for the moment.

"What?" I challenged, waiting for him to give in. He would of course. He always did. Seconds ticked by as he glared at me, though the ferocity didn't quite reach his eyes. At least a minute went by before he suddenly dropped down, and I barely had time to react before it happened.

My eyes widened in shock and I gasped in surprise, stumbling backwards as if that would somehow save me, but it wouldn't. Sam played baseball as a side sport to Motocross, and if there was one thing undeniable about him; it was his perfect aim. The aim that had me doomed from the start. Before he even shouted the words I knew were coming I was already a goner.

"Mud fight!" He yelled, and all at once a glob of dark brown mud slammed into my face, knocking me back a couple steps as I cringed in surprise before wiping it away from my eyes so I could see him smirking diligently, another ball of mud in his hand. He wound up his arm and threw, and I dropped to the ground to avoid it this time, though I still felt the coolness of it brush against my ear as I landed with a thud on the ground and rolled, getting to my feet with a handful of mud in my hands, sloshing through my fingers sloppily.

"Oh it's on."

Thirty minutes later, as I sucked in deep breath after deep breath, my body and clothes caked with mud from head to toe, I decided maybe optimists weren't so bad after all. If it wasn't for an optimistic mood neither Sam nor I would be standing together, each with an arm slung around the other's shoulders as we laughed like little kids, leaning on each other for support so we didn't fall over with the pain in our guts. It was the good kind of pain that left tears in your eyes because you couldn't breathe, but that was okay because you were happy.

"Let's agree that if we ever want to hate the other person, we start a mud fight," Sam told me, and already I knew that any and all hard feelings between us had diminished, but that's how friends worked. We got angry for a moment, and forgave the next because without the people we loved in our lives we would be nowhere; and best friends were no exception.

"Agreed," I ruffed up Sam's hair, which effectively rid it of a glob of dried mud that had threatened to stick to his head forever if I hadn't knocked it off.

"So…" I started, glancing at our dirt bikes which were still standing tall not too far away from us, slightly covered with mud and leaning against the truck.

"We're going to race aren't we?"

"Oh we're so going to race."

"Starting line or general entrance?"

"Wherever I get to first." I joked and hopped on Venom, pressing down on the kick starter quickly. It took me three times to hear my baby roar, but once she had we were nothing but a streak of darkness with a trail of dust in our wake. However not too far behind me Sam's bright green dirt bike followed. I had to admit that over the years Sam had not only become an amazing rider, but he could also keep up with me, a feat not too many people could handle. Not even Iggy could anymore, and he used to be my biggest competition.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I realized neither of us were wearing helmets, but I let the thought go since Sam would remember to get them later, and instead of worrying about it I only sped up, determined to win as always. Sam however, was also determined. It didn't take him long to pass me in the parking lot, and soon he was speeding through the entrance a whole two dirt-bikes worth ahead of me.

I only snickered though, because Venom was barely going half speed. "Come on, Baby, let's show Sam the new kicks," I smirked before giving it my all, and was soon flying past the green streak of light. I took a hand off the handlebars to point at him mockingly as I laughed before re-balancing myself with two hands and leaning into a sharp turn as I struggled to swerve around groups of people who weren't smart enough to move out of the way. "Watch it!" I called out as the starting line soared into reach. Just a little farther and I'd have won my second competition of the day.

"Oh no you don't!" Sam yelled, but over the deep purr of the engines it sounded like a whisper as he began to catch up to me. We were neck and neck, like our battles always ended. I just shook my head at him and snickered when he flipped me off, or tried to anyways. Sam had never been good with taking his hands off the handlebars which was why he always stuck to stunts like the Superman when it came time to do freestyle moves at the X Games. This year he wanted to do something more, and I knew he had been practicing, but he obviously wasn't too keen about it yet.

Suddenly, I looked forward and struggled to slam on the brakes. The back wheel fishtailed slightly and the force of it all sent the top half of my body flying over the handlebars as I struggled to keep Venom steady. However, the girl was determined to buck me off, and I soon lunged forward and to my left, knowing I couldn't avoid the inevitable. The dirt bike instantly went down, and around me people gasped in shock and horror at what had just occurred, but I only stood up and brushed myself off since I had actually practiced that multiple times before.

Sam had been much smarter than me, and rather than panicking and throwing his brakes out he decided to ease into a slower pace while turning away from the person who stood in my way with their white dirt bike. They were in matching attire, only their white outfit was contrasted with the multiple colors that sponsors brought to a uniform, along with their helmet which they already had on. "Hey? What the big deal? You can't just block the road." I snapped at the person, and they reached their hand up to push the tinted visor away so I could see their face when a girl with long dirty blonde hair pulled back into a tight ponytail approached me, a vicious glare on her face.

"And what the hell do you think you're doing, Dirtbag?" She snarled, and I stared at her furious golden brown eyes in shock, stuttering for a reply. She was tall for a girl, but shorter than me. However even with me having a good four inches on her it didn't take away from the fury in her gaze that was directed right at me.

"Me? You're the one who has a friend blocking my path to victory," I exclaimed with frustration, that pessimistic attitude swarming back into focus. Optimism and me don't go together very well it seems.

"Yeah well you're the one who-" The young woman began to spit fire in my direction, before a very feminine voice interrupted her.

"Lupo, stop." I looked around, trying to figure out which girl around us had spoken those words when I realized something. They sounded muffled and staticy, just like a person would sound when wearing a full-face helmet. I turned to the person dressed in white and watched as they easily slipped the helmet off, revealing their true identity.

* * *

 _ **So I'm obviously behind and I'm sorry for that, but I'll try to stay on track,**_ _ **It's just NaNoWriMo is consuming a lot of my time.**_

 _ **Review for more?**_

 _ **Stay Majestic**_

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	6. Chapter 6

**Screw-up**

 **Fang**

Maximum Martinez wasn't famous in any way, shape, or form. She wasn't a headliner or a national champion, she couldn't do a double backflip, or a front flip off the bike and land it. She wasn't obviously beautiful, and her brown hair and brown eyes didn't stand out one bit from every other girl in the world, but I knew her name.

How, I didn't know. But I did. I knew Maximum Martinez was the girl who stood in front of me decked out in white gear. I knew she was the one who had been stuck somewhere in the back of my mind and was now finally reaching the surface, only I couldn't remember why. I knew Maximum Martinez. But at the same time I had never met this girl in the flesh until today.

"Hey, sorry about Lupo, she forgets I can be just as intimidating as her," Max's eyes locked with Lupo's as she forwarded those words to her, and the girl sighed as she dropped her weight to one hip, her ponytail swishing behind her angrily.

"He almost ran you over, Max. I don't care how intimidating you are; I can still break his face much better than you can," Lupo declared, a hint of amusement clouding the anger in her eyes; almost as if she was challenging her friend. Max wouldn't take the bait however, maybe she already had one too many times.

"I'm sure you can, but I'd rather slay him on the course," Max patted Lupo's head in a mocking manner, and her friend scowled but obviously couldn't hold a grudge because she was soon smirking a smirk so devious I was slightly afraid.

"Well, if you insist, but watch it, Darko, because if she doesn't knock you down, _I will_." Lupo warned before slithering off as quickly as she had appeared. I blinked, and was shocked to find that she had already lost herself in the crowd. Quicker than a flash of lightning, and just as deceitful as one too.

"I really am sorry she snapped at you. She's kinda impulsive sometimes. So, who were you racing?" Max asked casually, looking around as if another bike would soar past us all at once. However, Sam's bike was long parked at the finish line, and he was gradually walking his way over to me to laugh in my face.

"My friend, Sam. And I'm actually surprised you're not ripping me to shreds for almost hitting you like that," I added, although I wasn't one to drag on conversations I was intrigued to know why this girl was stuck in my mind, bouncing around aimlessly without a purpose or a connection.

"Well you _almost_ hit me, but you didn't. So I have no reason to be angry." Max shrugged as if that was the simplest solution to her problem and I smiled weakly. She seemed just as straightforward as her words were, and it made me glad to know not all girls were complicated combinations that if you put in wrong a bomb would go off.

"Well, nice to meet you Max, I'm Fang; fellow Motocrosser who's most likely going to beat you today." I joked, holding my hand out to her which she took. Her handshake was firm unlike most girls', and her smile was honest.

"Nice to meet you Fang, but I wouldn't be most likely-ing anything just yet." She winked and let my hand go, walking off to go find her friend as I watched her fade into the crowd. Her impression on me lasted longer than Lupo's had, and so did her image in the mix of hundreds of people. It wasn't until Sam punched my arm lightly that I dared to draw my eyes away from Maximum Martinez.

"I won." He cheered, and despite myself I smiled, ruffling up his hair.

"Shocker there. Go get our helmets, will ya? I gotta go park my bike."

"On it!" Sam hollered, already halfway to the parking lot.

I did as I said I was going to before getting lost in the crowd of people, finding a line to wait in so I could get something to eat before the race started. It moved agonizingly slow and there was little to keep my mind occupied other than the classic rock roaring through the radio, but I managed to drag myself to the front of the line and pay for a hotdog and a slushie before my patience wore out.

Just as I was turning a corner though, somebody smacked into me, effectively sending my drink flying to the ground and splattering all over the dirt floor. "Hey! Watch it-" My voice fell short as I looked up into two icy blue eyes, coated with regret that melted to something unidentifiable. Iggy had learned that look from me. That stoney-faced smile that didn't lift at the corners of his mouth.

"Hey, Fang,"

"Don't talk to me," I snapped, storming off to go find Sam, or even Lupo. Anybody but Iggy.

"Oh come on, I'm sorry. You know I'm sorry. How long are you going to torture me?" The sixteen year old whined.

"How long are you going to treat me like your lapdog?" I spat in answer.

"Okay, first of all, you're more of a wingdog, and second of all-"

"Iggy!"

"I'm joking, sheesh. Come on, Fang, we're friends, aren't we?" I paused at that, turning to look at him. One time, back when I still cried when I fell down, I scraped my knee pretty bad and broke out into a sob fest. Iggy had squeezed my hand and promised me I was a brave person, and that he'd cry a lot harder if it had been him. He made me laugh and got me back on my feet and together we trudged home where my mom treated my battle wounds. Then, he had looked at me with a realization. Back then it had been that I could feel pain just as much as he could.

Now it was the realization that I could be just as cruel as him.

"Friends don't make out with other friend's sisters."

"You dated JJ." Iggy accused, but I only rolled my eyes.

"Sam gave me the okay, Iggy, and I didn't sleep with her."

"You're right. But Fang, think about this for a second. We've known each other since birth, we've been through thick and thin, the Halloween of Toilet Paper, the Thanksgiving of Live Turkey, the Easter of Melted Candy- everything. And you're going to stand there and attempt to make it sound like we're not friends anymore? Yeah I screw up, but I always screw up."

"That's the problem, Iggy. You _always_ screw up. I'm getting tired of seeing the people around me get hurt. Do you know when I saw you with Ella this little shred of hope I had for you completely disappeared? I thought the Angel thing would be enough of a slap in the face but I guess it wasn't." I snarled.

"Okay, I get it. Hit me."

"What?" I asked, leaning back in bewilderment.

"You know, pound my face in. We'll be even after you break my nose." He explained, gesturing for me to do as he asked. I only shook my head, turning back towards the course.

"No Iggy, we'll never be even. You've ruined any last chance of being even. Get away from me and…" _Stay away._ I bit my lip, unsure of if I could go through with this. He had hurt so many people but what those people didn't know was everybody hurt him back. Demanding he leave and not come back was like leaving a helpless puppy on the side of the road. I couldn't do it. "Give me time to cool off." I finished, and left him to stand alone in the crowd.

* * *

 _ **OopsI'msupersorryittookmethislongtorememberIneedtoupdate**_

 _ **So, here's the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy. Please review to let me know you like it**_

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 _ **VR**_


	7. Chapter 7

**One for My Sister, Two for the Show**

 **Fang**

"Start your engines!" A voice hollered and I did just that, my knuckles turning white against the handlebars. Somewhere to my left was Sam, to my right was Iggy. And Max, the mystery girl who I somehow knew was all the way to one end, revving her engine as we waited for the green light. Out of habit I reached down to check and make sure my fuel switch was on although I already knew it was, and then I went back holding on tight, ready to go.

In the few minutes it took to start hours went by in my mind, but then it did and I took off without a second thought. My bike lunged out of the gate and I was elated to notice I was currently in first. That was a huge advantage I needed to take and roll with, and so I did. In fifteen laps anything can happen so I bit my lip and hoped nobody would be able to catch up with my momentum.

The first five laps was a blur of dirt, the crowd, and victory shining in front of me. But once we got to the sixth that changed pretty quickly. A white dirt bike shot ahead of me, spewing dirt in my face as it raced ahead, and I blinked in shock. I had thought I had pulled away from everybody. Then something even more shocking happen. Along with Max, Sam passed me. I bit my lip and sped up into a turn, leaning heavily so I could keep my speed in hopes of at least passing someone. I ended up next to Sam, who glanced over at me with a smirk. I almost forgot to balance myself out. How could the one person who couldn't even tie his own shoes be borderline surpassing me?

I focused back on the track. I would not let him win. He may have been one of my best friends but I wasn't about to pretend I wasn't more competitive than America in the olympics. That was my trophy, and once I got passed Sam all that stood in my way was Max. I could have laughed at that thought. There was no way she was beating me.

Just as I finally slipped ahead of Sam a new person rolled up to take the title away from me. Iggy. He passed me, then Max, without a problem, and I felt confusion fall over myself. He hadn't practiced in months and yet somehow he was able to pass third, second, and first without even a fight? Something was up.

By lap eight I was struggling to stay in third, pushing towards second without actually making it there. How had my lead dissipated so quickly? At one point I thought I could pass Max at a turn, but she veered inward before I could my move and left me stranded in the hills. I huffed, attempting to soar over the mounds in a more calculated manner in hopes I would be in the perfect position to get ahead. No such luck.

At lap twelve I had pretty much given up. Iggy had half a lap's lead and at least three more bikes had passed me. What was going on? But then something happened.

Those three bikes started a domino of crashes. One fell and so did the other two… and Max. It took all I had to not blank out and I quickly made a sharp left around the group. They were all getting up which meant they were okay, but they were all also out. There was no way of getting back all the time they were wasting.

I looked back to Iggy. Maybe I could do it. He didn't deserve to win so who was I to let him? Two laps later I was close enough to pass if I tried hard enough, but I also had to worry about Sam who somehow managed to stick with me the whole time. For some reason, my mind dragged itself back to the truck, when I had had to choose between Sam or Iggy. It was like I was feeling the weight of that choice all over again. I hated being in between them. With both of them around I thought too hard. It was throwing off my game.

I took a breath and leaned into a turn, miraculously pulling ahead of Iggy. There was a large hill up ahead that had a tricky landing, although if I'd already done it fourteen times this should have been easy for me. And it was. What wasn't easy was watching Sam fly over his handlebars as he landed with the wheel at an angle. I cringed, moving my bike over out of the way. It was the last lap, I couldn't just slow down.

Although it wouldn't really matter after what was about to happen. Just as I cut the bike to the left, Iggy did as well, sending our bikes crashing together and both of us tumbling to the ground. Four other bikes shot past us in the few seconds it took me to realize I was laying on the ground and I groaned in frustration, throwing my helmet off as one of them crossed the finish line. I was seeing red. Literally and metaphorically.

Blood dripped into my eyes, from where I had no clue, but at that moment the only thing that mattered was Iggy crashing into me. "What the hell, Man?" I snarled as he got to his feet, brushing the dirt off him.

He looked around skeptically, as if trying to figure out who I was talking to, then realized it was him. "It's not my fault you cut in front of me like that!"

"Well Sam mysteriously crash landed and I didn't want to run him over." I snarled accusingly, and watched as he yanked his helmet and goggles off.

"Are you accusing me of making him crash or something?"

"Well it wouldn't be that hard to believe!" I shouted just as the last of the dirt bikes past us. Sam limped over to us, shrugging off the help he was being offered to join the argument. Iggy turned to him, still in disbelief.

"Sam, tell Fang that I-" _Smack_. I'd never seen Sam throw a punch that actually landed before but I couldn't say I wasn't pleased to watch Iggy stumble in shock as blood poured out of his nose.

"That's for my sister, bastard."

"Okay, maybe I deserved that," Iggy began, righting himself. "But I didn't-" Two in a row. This was highly amusing. As Iggy fell to the ground with the second hit Sam bit his lip, shaking the pain out of his hand.

"What was that for?" Iggy demanded, rubbing his jaw.

"I just wanted to do it again." Sam admitted with a chuckle, and I smiled to myself. This had certainly been an interesting turn of events. Although a few seconds later security dragged Sam off and asked if I needed to be taken with him. After a quick no, I looked back to Iggy.

"Sam's never missed a jump like that before. He may be a klutz but we've been landing stunts from that height since we were ten. Don't act innocent, Iggy, I know you're not."

"Are you being for real right now, Fang? I've done a lot of bad things but knocking Sam over? Why would I do that?" I didn't know.

"I'm sure I'll find a reason if I think for a second," I spat before turning away from the argument I obviously couldn't win but I didn't have to lose either.

As I rode my bike off the track I noticed that Lupo chick was walking away from the scene and rode over. "Hey, did Max take that fall okay?" I asked, and was rewarded with a very terrified look.

"I have no idea. They took her to the hospital." _What?_

"Are you serious? But I saw her get up."

"Yeah, I did too, but I also saw her fall right back down. I don't know what the hell's going on but I need to get there and I don't even know where it is." She muttered.

"If you give me a few minutes I can drive you. Sam and I go there all the time for different injuries so we know all the shortcuts," I explained and she nodded once.

"Five minutes and we're gone." She ordered and I nodded once before heading off to find Sam.

* * *

 _ **Sam is literally my favorite. Can I just find somewhere that will print him to life? lol**_

 ** _Review if you like, or don't like, or have questions or- I should stop._**

 ** _Stay Majestic_**

 ** _VR_**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chivalry's Consequences**

 **Fang**

Something dark washed over the pristine walls of the waiting room as minutes melted into hours around the three of us. There were no answers, no questions, no strange looks of any shape or short. It was just three entities, submerged in a mental battle with time, waiting for the clock to strike death or life.

Doctors came and went, nurses stomped and scurried, gurneys came flying in and dragging out, but Max's name was never mentioned and so we all sat and waited. Or two of us did anyways. Lupo paced, back and forth and back and forth, and forth and back until I was sure she had made a two inch rut where she was walking. "Lupo, sit down," I mumbled, hoping she would do as I said. She didn't. Instead she glared furiously, opening her mouth to speak then closing it to think. Nobody really knew what to say so the smartest thing was to not say anything.

"Lupo," Sam spoke softly, getting to his feet and resting a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to stop in her tracks. She looked ready to rip his head off and pace over his body, but she didn't. She couldn't. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug too fast for her to do much of anything and so she just stood there, her arms at her sides as she didn't seem to quite comprehend what was happening. "I know this is hard on you. I understand how this must feel, but you need to take a breather."

"I need you to let me go." She growled, pushing him back. Sam seemed shocked by the rejection, as if nobody had ever denied his hugs before- which was true- and robotically sat back down. I guess that meant it was my turn.

"If Max dies do you wanna be standing up when you hear the news?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Fang!" Sam snapped, obviously overwhelmed by my heartlessness, but one tearful gaze from Lupo later she took a seat, right in between us, and began fumbling her hands around. Sam didn't argue with my methods again.

"If you're feeling twitchy try counting the dots on the floor tiles." I advised, and she sent me a sideways glance.

"There's thousands of them," she replied.

"Yes, I know, which means it will take awhile. Get to counting," I commanded, and although at first I was sure she ignored me, the second time I glanced at her her fingers had stopped tangling themselves together and she seemed to be mouthing numbers as she stared at the floor. I smiled and Sam sent me a confused look. Normally he was the one that was good at comforting people and I was good at being the reason for their comfort needs.

Lupo had drifted off on Sam's shoulder somewhere around seven hundred tile floor dots and he had sat still the entire time, allowing her to get her rest for the next few hours we spent waiting. It wasn't until well after the moon had risen high into the sky that a doctor drifted into the room and mentioned a name we all knew. "Is Lupo here?" As if her ears worked better than her glare Lupo shot up, wiping the drool from her chin and marching over to the doctor.

"What's going on? Is Max okay?" She demanded, and I stood up to keep her from shaking answers out of the doctor.

"She's stable. She has some broken ribs, a sprained ankle, and a nice cut on her head but she'll be fine. In fact, after she wakes up you can take her home." The doctor said and a filter of relief washed over the darkness that had consumed us as Sam and I got to our feet.

"Okay, thanks. Can I go see her?" Lupo asked, and the doctor nodded, mentioning the room number before heading off.

"Do you want us to wait here? We can be your ride home." I offered, but Lupo shook her head.

"Come with me. She'll probably wanna know who ended up winning knowing Max, and I didn't see who it was." Lupo chuckled lightly, something in her eye that told me she had known Max far longer than anyone else in her life, and I nodded once, following after her along with Sam.

When we got inside the room Max was still sleeping, and Lupo sat on the bed next to her friend, patting her hand. At the feeling of warmth in the cold hospital Max flickered her eyes open, smiling weakly at Lupo. "Hey," she breathed out, her voice rough.

"Hey, Stupid, how are you feeling?" Lupo asked, causing Max to chuckle meekly.

"Oh you know, like crap." She answered. Lupo shook her head at that, and motioned for Sam and me to come over. We both walked up to the bed, looking down at the girl who was in worse shape than any initial glance could tell.

"You're the boy who almost ran me over," Max grinned, her hand resting on my chest. "Don't ever do that again." She stated.

"He got me here to the hospital. Him and his friend." Lupo explained, and Sam waved. Max took her hand off my chest to wave in acknowledgement and then let it drop to the bed.

"So, what happened?"

"You got into a freak accident and got taken to the hospital. You're okay, but you probably need a good amount of rest and painkillers to get through this." I explained, and she nodded once.

"Lupo, can we go home?" Max asked her friend, and Lupo bit her lip, looking over at us.

"Our 'home' is currently the Mustang we drove down here in. Do you guys know any cheap hotels in the area?"

"How about Hotel Fang?" I suggested. "Three square meals, a constantly-filled pantry, and free cable all for the low price of getting to do a race in that nice Mustang of yours,"

"Oh, I don't-"

"Sounds good to me. Now take me to Hotel Fang before I change my mind." Max interrupted Lupo's thoughts, and I smirked, nodding once.

"Off we go then."

* * *

"This is the guest bedroom, and you can either both sleep in here or one of you can sleep in the basement."

"Is it haunted?" Max asked casually, and for a moment I couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

"... No?"

"I'll take the basement then. Lupo can have the bed." She stated simply.

"But your ankle-"

"I've had worse." Max waved off the argument and motioned for me to lead the way. I gave her an odd look, but complied, picking her suitcase back up and leading the way down the stairs. Or about halfway down the stairs anyways. Hopping on one foot didn't seem to be Max's fortee.

"You wanna let me help you?" I asked, although I was going to do it anyways, and wrapped an arm around her waist to support as much of her as I could.

"I can do this on my own."

"You almost fell." I pointed out.

" _Almost._ I get around on my own just fine. I don't need anyone's help." Max pushed me away but I just grabbed on again. I was not about to be the reason she fell and broke her neck.

"I beg to differ." I muttered, and together we got down the stairs and I led her to the couch which she gratefully fell against.

"So can I ask you something?" Max spoke up just as I was heading for the stairs to leave her alone for a bit.

"Sure," I shrugged.

"Why are you being so nice to a couple of strangers?"

"I guess I'm just a nice guy," I joked, but the answer didn't seem to satisfy her. "I don't know, but we're all in this together, you know? And the cheapest place around here also happens to be the place where a lot of crime happens. It's safer here." I paused for a moment, a question threatening to drip off my tongue. Although I guessed it would be a fair trade. An answer for an answer. "So, why do you trust a couple of strangers so easily?"

"It's free, besides you guys aren't bad people. I can tell. I know what bad people look like." Max added, as if to justify herself, and I bit my lip to keep anymore questions from fumbling out. It wasn't my business. "We'll leave after I can walk on my ankle again, I promise. I just prefer being able to move if I have to when I'm at hotels and stuff. This is just… safer right now."

"You don't have a psycho killer after you, do you?" I asked, chuckling at the thought of it. Max let out a nervous laugh, as if I wasn't too far from the right choice.

"No, not that bad." Although I wanted to pry I kept my mouth shut, and headed for the stairs.

"If you need anything just yell," I told her before leaving her alone, and heading up to find Sam in my room. He gave me a pointed look and I shut the door behind me, falling into my desk chair with a sigh.

"There's something wrong with them." He said.

"I know." But there wasn't much we could do at that point. We had been kind and that was our fault. Now we had to face the consequences.

* * *

 _ **I am quite proud of that riveting title, thank you very much**_

 _ **Review because You must like it if you've read this far**_

 ** _Stay Majestic_**

 ** _VR_**


	9. Chapter 9

**A Punch in the Gut**

 **Fang**

The next morning my mom got a not-so-pleasant surprise.

"Nicolas Ride!" She screeched, effectively waking me up from my slumber, and I rolled off my bed in a haste, attempting to actually wake up before I was yelled at for whatever I had done wrong.

"Yes?" I called groggily, reaching for a pair of jeans and throwing them on. It was a Sunday so it's not like I had anyone to impress.

"Can you explain to me why there are two girls camping out in the guest room and the basement?" My mother demanded, appearing in the doorway with a wicked glare on her face. I gulped, looking down at my ripped jeans. Okay, so I did have people to impress.

"Well you see, Max- the one in the basement- got into a pretty bad accident and they needed somewhere to crash for a few nights and since you're like the most amazing mother on the planet I thought you'd be okay with it?" I explained, unsure if flattery would get me anywhere. Every now and then it worked.

"Fang, you can't just do this. I understand I wasn't home for most of the day but that doesn't mean you can go turning the place into a hotel." She sighed deeply, and I grabbed a shirt off the floor, pulling it on, noticing a stain, and then taking it back off and looking for something better.

"I know, I'm sorry, but they promised they'll leave after Max gets better. besides they're kind of broke and you know how that hotel on the other side of town is." I insisted, settling on a band shirt that I had cut the sleeves off of long ago. it wasn't the nicest look but it was better than the other options strewn across my floor.

Mom rolled her eyes, shaking her head at me. "Fine, but you're not allowed to sleep in either room with them- and they're not allowed to sleep in yours."

"I barely know their names, Mom, there's no love story going on here. I promise." I assured, and mom nodded once.

"Alright fine, I'll pretend to believe that for now. Tell them breakfast will be ready in ten. Oh and, do you know where your sister is? She told me she was spending the night at Nudge's but she's usually home by now. I called her but she wouldn't pick up." Mom asked and my memory flickered back to yesterday when Iggy had shoved his tongue down her throat.

"I'm sure they're just too caught up in doing each other's makeup. I can head over there after breakfast if you want? Sam and I are going over to Dylan's anyways to check on him and probably watch a couple movies with that chocolate popcorn he always has." I offered and mom nodded once.

"It'd definitely make me feel better."

"Alright, I'll text you." I nodded and she headed off, leaving me alone for a moment. I grabbed my phone and searched through my contacts, finding Iggy's and sending him a text. _If my sister's at your house I'll rip out your spine and beat you with it._

With that I headed over to the guest room, knocking once before marching in only to find Lupo still passed out on the bed. "Loop, get up. Breakfast."

She gurgled in response, and I rolled my eyes. "Lupo, wake up." I urged, yanking the blankets off. Her foot connected with my gut and I fell down hard, groaning loudly as her eyes squinted open.

"Don't ever wake me up again." She growled, sitting up slowly as I struggled to catch my breath. Instead I ended up coughing up half a lung and thinking I was about to die, all the while Lupo casually stepped into the guest bathroom, leaving me to suffocate.

I finally got a breath in and pushed myself to my feet, praying Max wasn't anything like Lupo.

With a stumble to my step, I barely made it down the stairs. When I finally hit solid ground I turned towards the couch only to find Max sitting up and watching some television, a small smile on her face as the cartoon played out in front of her. "Morning," I said, and she glanced over at me.

"Watch some TV with me," she patted the empty seat next to her and despite my better judgement I did as told. Thankfully, it wasn't one of those dumb shows about girl power.

"You know, breakfast is almost ready," I said, and she turned to me, eyes wide with disbelief.

"You cook?"

"My mom does. She's a master at chocolate chip cookies. I'll try and convince her to make some before you leave." I smiled and Max smiled back, and for the smallest instant the world disappeared, but then it came roaring back with the sound of the stove beeping and I forgot there had ever been a pause at all.

"Well, we better get upstairs." I decided, shutting the television off and getting to my feet, holding my hand out for Max which she completely ignored, pushing herself to her feet all by herself and limping towards the stairs.

"Will Lupo sue if you die here?" I pondered jokingly, watching as she hopped onto the first step with easy. But she had fifteen more to go and it only got more daunting from there.

"Probably." Max shrugged, hopping up another step.

"And you expect me to just stand by and watch as you hop up the steps of suicide?"

"Yep." I snorted at her answer, quickly catching up and wrapping my arm around her waist.

"Absolutely not." Somehow, I managed to help her up the stairs without falling myself, but after we were up Max demanded I let go of her so she could hop around by herself.

"You could just use crutches, you know." I pointed out, to which she rolled her eyes at me.

"Crutches are for the weak." She waved off the suggestion and continued into the kitchen, me following after. "Hi Mrs. Fang's Mom." Max spoke cheerily, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Well hello Fang's friend," my mom chimed back, and I took the seat across from Max, glancing around at the assortment of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and waffles. It was breakfast heaven. I immediately started shovelling food onto my plate, debating whether or not to take all the waffles.

"Thank you so much for letting me and Lupo stay here for a few days. It's really nice of you."

"Yeah well when my son forgets to tell me we have company it's easy to just roll with it," Mom chuckled, ruffling up my hair as she took the seat at the head of the table. "After all, Fang's friends always come and go for meals."

I had taken my first bite of bacon when the front door slammed open and in walked none other than the one person I didn't want to see. Iggy. "Oh Fang! Guess who has- what's she doing here?" He demanded, glaring towards Max as if she was the root of all his problems. My mom blinked, obviously confused by the whole situation.

"Well, I better go get ready for work," she muttered, before heading out of the kitchen to avoid whatever drama was about to come. I didn't blame her- in fact, I wished I could come up with an excuse and leave to.

"What do you mean? This is my house, Iggy. I can invite who I want to-"

"Your friends with Iggy?" Max exclaimed, turning on me with an outraged look in her eyes.

"Well yeah, I've known him since-"

"Damn right he is. You got a problem with that, Doll?" Iggy snarled, and for once the petname didn't pur off his lips in a sweet way. Instead it sounded mocking, dangerous even.

"No, but I have a problem with you." Max stood on her good foot, a scowl on her face.

"Can somebody please tell me what's going on?" I demanded, looking between the two as they had a staredown with one another. It was so intense I wasn't sure who would win. Normally Iggy had a knack for these glare-offs, but Max was holding her own pretty well.

Finally, after what felt like eons of silence, Max huffed, sitting back down and looking over at me, unable to handle Iggy's icy look. "If you have something to discuss with James take it out of the kitchen. I will not be in the same room as that bastard."

"You're just mad cause I threw you away like the trash you are." Iggy spat, and I got to my feet.

"Iggy, shut up. I thought I told you to leave me alone," I growled, finally finding all the pent up rage that had been momentarily dampened by the ocean of confusion.

"Yeah, you did. But I blatantly ignored that like always. Come on, I'll give you my apology out of the presence of the queen bitch herself." Max didn't argue with the title Iggy had given her, and so I didn't either. Instead I followed him into the living room where my much overdue apology awaited.

* * *

 ** _Look at this; this ninth chapter. This chapter or chapterness._**

 ** _Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas or whatever you celebrate and have a Happy New Years!_**

 ** _Review because you're Majestic_**

 ** _Stay Majestic_**

 ** _VR_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Laugh Because You're Angry**

 **Fang**

"This is a check." I acknowledged, my fingers delicately holding onto the light blue piece of paper with a wild amount written on it. I'd never seen that much money on one piece of paper before- then again I normally didn't enter the money races.

"He can see! It's a miracle!" Iggy called out jokingly, and I rolled my eyes at the sarcasm, handing the check back.

"I don't want 's not an apology. Wait, how did you-" _He didn't win_.

"Look, Fang, we both know I'm a screw-up and that's all I'm ever going to be, but this is my best shot at sorry. Just take it, please." He added, as if begging would get him anywhere. I let out a deep breath, spinning on my heel and snatching the check out of his hand.

"Where did you get it?"

"I won."

"I'm not stupid, Iggy. No, you didn't."

"No, not the race. A slot-"

"You're not old enough to play slots!" I exclaimed, shoving the check back in his face. "That money is _illegal._ "

"Oh calm down. My fake ID says I'm twenty-two." I laughed. I actually found it within me to _laugh._ Iggy had driven me to the brink of insanity, where joy was actually fury, It would have frightened me had I not been caught up in the whole _insanity_ factor.

"It's _fake,_ Iggy. Just. Like. You." I snarled, before turning on my heel to leave him alone for the second time in two days. Iggy grabbed my shoulder, squeezed tight. He wouldn't let me go again. Maybe the slap in the face from yesterday was still sore.

"Fang, come on. It's twenty-five thousand dollars. Why are you passing this up? Who cares how I got it? We're not gonna get caught."

"Halloween, eight years ago. You said the same thing."

"We didn't get caught then-"

"No, Iggy, _you_ didn't get caught. I got dragged out of my house to the police station because _you_ broke that window. My mother wouldn't even look at me for a whole week! I've been taking the credit for everything you've done wrong for the past seventeen years and I'm done with it. Take your illegal check and cash it, spend it, have a nice time. I'm sure it will get you farther than your friends ever could." I spat, storming straight into the kitchen. I expected Iggy to follow, to beg for forgiveness, to do something, but I didn't even hear his footsteps for the door. He was already gone.

I walked over to the island and pressed my fists against the cool countertop, sucking in a deep breath and counting to ten, then twenty, then as far as I could go until I absolutely had to breathe again. Max didn't say a single word. For a long time the only sound was the air conditioner turning on in the middle of the blistering day.

After I was sure I could speak without a growl, I turned back to the table, and joined Max for the rest of breakfast, letting my curiosity melt the last bits of rage I felt. "So how do you know Iggy?"

"Long story. _Bad_ story. I don't like to talk about it." I huffed, frustrated with being left in the dark. The lightswitch was right in front of me but my arm seemed to be two inches too short to reach. I hated the dark.

"Well you're going to have to tell me before you leave," I decided, figuring I could make a game out of this if nothing else. Max raised an eyebrow in my direction, popping a piece of bacon in her mouth.

"How are you going to make me, Speedy?"

"Oh you'll see," I winked and stood up from the table, leaving Max alone to the kitchen while I headed back up to my room, bumping into Lupo on my way. "Well good morning, Sunshine," I cheered brightly.

"Did I hear Satan's voice?" She inquired, completely ignoring my sarcasm.

"You mean Iggy?"

"That would be Satan."

"Yeah, he was here but he's gone now." I explained.

"Too bad, I needed some more blood for my afternoon bath." She shrugged effortlessly, continuing down the stairs, and I bit my lip, unsure of if it was a joke or not. Maybe letting these two girls into my house was a horrible idea.

* * *

I headed over to Sam's, leaving the girls armed and dangerous with popcorn and comedies. I figured it would keep them from snooping too much if they had something to do. "I just don't get them, you know? They know Iggy for a bad reason but they won't tell me why," I complained, laying on Sam's bed and staring at his closet door as he shuffled summer assignments for his college courses around. He'd finished two of them already but he still had three to go and it was already July.

"Well does it really matter? We both know he's a jerk and he probably felt them up or something so just let it be. Neither of them want to talk about it." Sam spoke as if the answer was simple, but I wasn't so sure.

"If it's so simple then why are they so afraid to tell someone?"

"Fang, it's not your business. Don't let Iggy involve you in any more of his crap than he already has, okay?" Sam persisted, and I sighed but nodded. It was no use. The whole world was against me, pulling me farther and farther away from the switch. I was drowning in the dark and my air supply would never catch up to me at this point.

"Fine, fine. Hey, when we leave can we stop by Nudge's place? I wanted to check on-"

"Yes!" Sam literally yelled, his voice raising an octave and effectively cutting me off. I raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to do with that reaction.

"You're quite enthusiastic about seeing your ex," I acknowledged.

"What? What are you talking about, I-"

"Sam, she cheated on you. You've been telling me not to get played by Iggy, well now you need to take your own advice with Nudge. Don't let her hurt you again." I said, and he nodded once, although he seemed anxious to leave. The poor guy was hopelessly in love. The only problem was she didn't feel the same way.

"Yeah, okay, I see what you're- oh look at that! Dylan just asked what was taking us so long. We better leave now." Sam rushed, heading for the door with phone in hand.

"It didn't even beep," I pointed out, although he was already halfway down the stairs. I groaned, reluctantly following after my friend and dragging myself into his Corvette- or rather, his dad's corvette that he drove. It was bright yellow just like his personality so I guess it worked alright. "You're taking this to show off,"

"I'm taking it purely for speed reasons."

"We both know Nudge drools over this corvette."

"No, she drools over _me_ inside of the vette," Sam corrected, and I rolled my eyes but kept my arguments at a minimum. Just like I made my own mistakes with Iggy, Sam would have to make his own with Nudge. I only hoped it wouldn't drive him to the same level of insanity I was reaching towards.

* * *

 _ **Here's a little New Years present for you guys XD**_

 _ **And my resolutions are to finish the book I'm working on and update Motocross consistently. *Wild laughter in the distance***_

 _ **Stay Majestic**_

 _ **VR**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Cheater, Cheater**

 **Fang**

Nudge's house was small, to put it simply. She didn't like it, we didn't like it, her parents didn't like it, but there was no point in complaining since the situation would never get better. It had become an unwritten rule amongst our friend group to never talk money- especially around Nudge. It was agonizing to watch the way her eyes darkened when someone brought up the new thing they had just got while she could barely afford a good dinner.

"Maybe you should stay in the car," I muttered, knowing how Sam got around his ex. He'd accidentally say something stupid and that was the last thing any of us needed right now.

"But I-"

"Sam." I interrupted in a warning tone.

"Fine." He huffed, slammed his arms across his chest, and waited till after I had knocked on the front door to come sprinting up to me with my phone in his hand.

"How did you get that?" I asked, eyes widening as I patted down my pockets. I could have sworn it was in one of them.

"You- er- dropped it. I just thought I better give it to you in case somebody calls." Sam explained, and I sighed, snatching it from his hand and shooing him towards the car.

"Go away before-" The door swung open.

"Hey Fang… and Sam, what do you want?" Nudge turned back to me, blatantly ignoring her ex. I didn't blame her. Sam was obsessed.

"I was just-"

"Why are you wearing that?" Sam interrupted, his voice loud with an order. He was demanding and answer, not asking for one. I took that moment to take in the tee shirt that obviously didn't belong to Nudge draped over her body, and the shorts peeking out from underneath. Definitely not public-appropriate, but then again she probably wasn't planning on going out in public today.

"Because I have to look semi-decent when answering a door," Nudge sneered, rolling her eyes.

"That's not your shirt." Sam muttered.

"No, it's not. Brilliant observation." Her sarcasm should have been strong enough to slice Sam's tongue out, but he just kept going.

"Is it Gazzy's?"

"That's none of your business."

"It's completely my business."

"And why is that?" Silence. Sam sputtered for an answer that didn't make him seem pathetic, but couldn't seem to find one.

"Because, well, well I… because you're too young-"

"Oh my God, who are you, my dad? Fang, what do you guys want?" Nudge growled, obviously fed up with the whole situation.

"I just wanted to know if Ella was here-"  
"Would I dress like this if she was?" Nudge inquired, raising an eyebrow towards me.

"I don't know how girl sleepovers work." I defended, and Nudge's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh crap. I was supposed to cover for her." She mumbled, and I all but exploded right there.

"She's with Iggy, isn't she?" I had completely forgotten this morning to ask Iggy about it, what with him shoving illegal money in my face and all.

"No."

"You're lying," Sam said, and Nudge scowled at him.

"How would you know?"

"You always bite your lip when you lie." He whispered, his quiet voice echoing around the room. In that moment Nudge lost her anger, and even I had to feel bad for him all over again. Sam knew Nudge inside and out. He knew she was cheating but he never wanted to admit it to himself- until he caught her in the act. I could still remember the agony in his eyes when he told me a whole week after the fact, and I had a feeling Nudge was reliving it too.

"You're good at catching the little things," she responded, and for a moment I could see a shimmer of hope within Sam.

"Yeah well we better get going," I spoke quickly, wanting to end the moment before Sam got too excited about a second chance. It wasn't going to happen.

"Yeah, you should. I'm busy." Nudge turned on her heel and slammed her door shut in our face, and I began heading back to the car, but Sam wavered.

"Leave it." I warned, but of course who would listen to me? I'm the only one with common sense after all. And instead of complying, Sam began walking around the house towards Nudge's window. "Sam, that's a bad idea!" I called, but he was already out of sight, and being the amazing friend I was, I followed for backup.

Sam was already at the window, with a strange look on his face. If I didn't know any better I'd think he was watching Bridezilla or something. "Sam?" I prodded quietly, and he turned towards me with a glare I hadn't seen in a couple days, and stormed off past me. I debated whether or not to glance through the window, but decided against it. Sam would tell me eventually anyways.

Once we got over to Dylan's I told him the story of the race all the way up to this morning with Max and Iggy, all the while Sam stayed quiet, and I began to worry. The last time he stopped talking I found him swallowing painkillers.

"So let me get this straight, there are two hot chicks in your house right now, and you're more worried about Iggy's past with them than your future with them?" He raised an eyebrow, obviously confused.

"I never said they were hot," I pointed out.

"They do Motocross, Fang, you didn't have to say they were."

"Okay, point taken, but why would I want to get involved in something Iggy's messed with?" I questioned, and Dylan thought for a moment.

"I guess that's a valid reason." He shrugged, although he only seemed halfway convinced. "So, what are we gonna do?"

"Well I was thinking we play that new video game you got. How's that sound, Sam?" I asked, hoping to get something out of him. He didn't even shrug.

"What's up with you?" Dylan asked, but I sent him a sideways look that told him all he needed to know. _Nudge happened._

"How about we just go to the track instead? I can give you guys pointers. How's that sound Sam?" Dylan suggested to Sam meekly, quickly bypassing his own question. Once again, our friend failed to react. Dylan rolled his eyes. "Nudge is a bitch, Sam. She's not worth it."

"I love her." He snapped, glaring at Dylan as if _he_ was the one who slept with Angel.

"And look where it's getting you? Look, Man, there's 7 billion people in the world, don't you think there's one other girl who you could love besides someone who _cheated on you_?" Dylan asked, and I took a step back to keep out of the situation. The last thing I wanted to do was argue with Sam about Nudge. It never ended well.

"Maybe it was partly my fault, I mean-"

"No. She doesn't deserve you. Stop sulking." Dylan interrupted, sitting up weakly and grabbing the remote. "Now, go get the video game, and Fang, you get snacks."

Sam didn't answer, simply stood up and walked out of the room, and I turned to Dylan to chew him out when the sound of a door slamming shut made me go numb.

"He's not…?"

"Probably."

A few minutes later the roar of an engine made us both groan. He was leaving. And I had a feeling he wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.

* * *

 _ **MY UPDATE IS ON TIME**_

 _ **Also; AHS anyone ? Because the season finale is WEDNESDAY. *Screams like a football fan***_

 _ **Stay Majestic**_

 _ **VR**_


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